134: Chapter 134 Azu's Campaign Plan

"You mean," Thompson's brow furrowed, "the mayor's death has something to do with A-Zu and his people?"

"It's hard to say right now!" Black Panther threw his cigarette butt into the trash can. "But if A-Zu plans to run for mayor in the future, then they did it."

"Huh?" Thompson double-checked that he hadn't misheard. "Aliens can run for mayor too?"

Black Panther chuckled. "Aliens can be the Ball Chief, so why would it be strange for one to run for mayor?"

Black Panther lowered his arms from his chest and walked over to the sand table. He tapped the icon for City Hall in Lower Manhattan, causing it to light up and project a small beam of red light onto the 3D map. "Besides, he has people from Blue Star acting as his advisors."

"Sima Bei helped him rebrand his persona from 'alien terrorist who slaughters civilians' to 'liberator of humanity' in less than forty-eight hours. From guiding social media opinion to designing press conference talking points, and from the visual symbols of the Stars and Stripes to grafting on the slogan 'Proletarians, unite!'"

"I have to say, Sima Bei's proficiency with Blue Star's political games is a level higher than even Mayor Coleman's campaign team. Do you think they wouldn't have thought of the campaign route?"

"First, sway the hearts of the people, then use that public support to gain legal legitimacy," Black Panther continued, tracing a line on the sand table from the red-dotted area where A-Zu's supporters gathered to the location of City Hall. "If this cycle continues, I wouldn't even be surprised if he ran for president in the future."

"A-Zu has already used Sima Bei's strategy to complete the first step. The grassroots masses have started to see him as a savior, and the massive number of clicks and likes are his voter base."

"Now he's having private contact with the president, which is the second step: getting the elite class to accept his existence and turning an 'Alien Invader' into a 'political negotiation partner.'"

"And the next third step is to obtain an identity that allows him to issue orders legally. Once that's combined with his overwhelming military power, his words will be holy writ in New York City, except for the Ball Chief."

"So we're just going to sit here and watch?" Thompson asked anxiously. "If A-Zu actually becomes mayor, who knows what kind of mess he'll turn New York into?"

Black Panther shook his head. "For now, we can only take it one step at a time."

He set his electronic pen on the edge of the sand table. "The Revival Alliance's nuclear bomb is keeping A-Zu contained in New York; that's our biggest trump card."

"But this is a defensive card, not an offensive one."

"Offense requires intelligence, timing, and a breakthrough that can completely collapse A-Zu's legitimacy. Right now, I don't have any of those three."

He turned to look at Thompson. "However, since the Interstellar Police Department sent you to investigate the mayor's case, you might be able to use that to cause them some trouble."

Thompson pulled his hand back from the sand table and slowly made a fist, his knuckles cracking twice. "I understand. Leave it to me!"

In the morning, Thompson was woken up by the sound of the television.

He turned over and buried his face in his pillow, trying to use it to block out the excited female voice, but the sound pierced through the down, stabbing into his eardrum like a needle.

"The situation on the scene is extremely critical! The robbers are armed with heavy weaponry, and at least twelve hostages are currently being held in the bank lobby."

He threw the pillow aside and sat up in bed.

In the living room, the television was on, and the volume was turned up to the max. Gugu Gaga stood on the carpet directly in front of the TV, her two flipper-like forelimbs tightly clutching a torn-open bag of cookies, watching the TV while eating.

"When did you learn how to turn on the TV?" Thompson asked hoarsely.

The little penguin ignored him. She pointed at the screen with her flipper and let out a short "Ga," meaning: Shut up and watch the news.

On the television screen, footage from a helicopter's aerial view was shaking violently. The camera overlooked a gray-white three-story building, which was the Manhattan branch of the New York Savings Bank.

The area outside the bank's main entrance was packed with police cars, and the police lights on their roofs dyed the entire street in an alternating red and blue strobe.

Several armored riot vehicles blocked the intersection, and snipers were already in position all around; at least three black dots could be seen on the rooftop opposite the building.

Yellow caution tape was stretched out for three blocks, but outside the tape, it was still crowded with onlookers. Some were holding up phones to livestream, some were holding their children while standing on tiptoes to peer, and a few young people had climbed onto the roadside lampposts, like a crowd watching an outdoor concert.

At the bottom of the screen, a line of breaking news headlines with white text on a red background scrolled by: [Breaking] Bank Robbery in Lower Manhattan, Multiple Hostages Taken, Police Currently in Standoff with Robbers.

The scene cut back to the studio. A blonde female anchor sat behind the news desk, with the background screen behind her showing a photo of the bank's exterior and a composite sketch of the robbers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now interrupting with an emergency news report. Around 7:40 this morning, at least five masked robbers broke into the New York Savings Bank branch located on East Broadway in Lower Manhattan and launched an armed assault shortly after the bank opened for business."

"The robbers are armed with automatic rifles and suspected military-grade explosives, and have taken control of at least twelve customers and three bank employees inside the lobby as hostages."

"According to witnesses at the scene, the robbers triggered a silent alarm about five minutes after breaking into the bank, and the New York Police Department's rapid response unit arrived at the scene at 7:52."

"The robbers immediately closed all entrances and exits to the bank and are using the hostages as human shields to prevent the police from storming the building. At present, police negotiators have arrived at the scene and are making initial contact with the robbers via telephone."

Thompson walked over to the sofa, bent down to pick up the remote from the coffee table, and turned the volume down two notches. The little penguin immediately turned her head and let out a dissatisfied "Gaga" sound at him.

"According to exclusive news just received by this station," the female anchor's speaking speed suddenly increased, "the leader of the robbers has conveyed their first demand to the police through an elderly hostage who was released."

"They want an armored cash-in-transit vehicle with a full tank of gas, which must be parked in the alley behind the bank with the engine running."

"There's nothing to see here," Thompson explained to the little penguin. "Due to the recent population explosion in New York City, the crime rate in the already unstable United States has skyrocketed."

"This kind of bank robbery drama happens five or six times a day."

"Last week in Queens, the same convenience store was robbed twice. During the second robbery, the robbers from the first one hadn't even run out of the store yet. The two groups bumped into each other, and before the police could arrive, they started fighting among themselves."

"Gugu Gaga!" The little penguin pointed sharply at the TV, and Thompson's eyes widened as well.